Latest Update on Tragic Shooting Incident That Killed Two Burnsville Officers and Burnsville Firefighter/Paramedic
BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA - In the latest eye-opening press release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), we find out in more detail what occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, February 18, 2024, which resulted in the tragic deaths of Burnsville Police Department Officers Ruge and Elmstrand, and Burnsville Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Finseth. Burnsville Police Sergeant Adam Medlicott was also shot and injured with non-life-threatening injuries.
In the latest update in the preliminary investigation from the BCA, they have identified three officers who fired their firearms during this incident. Those include:
Sergeant Adam Medlicott was reported to have fired his handgun and has 14 years of law enforcement experience.
Officer Javier Jimenez was reported to have fired his rifle, and he also has 14 years of law enforcement experience.
Officer Daniel Wical was reported to have fired his rifle and has eight years of law enforcement experience.
According to the BCA's preliminary investigation, officers arrived at the home around 2 AM for reports of a domestic incident within the home. Officers reportedly spoke with Gooden, the suspect in this incident. Gooden refused to leave the home and said he was unarmed and had children inside. Officers entered the home and attempted to negotiate with Gooden for about three and a half hours in the hopes he would surrender peacefully. According to the report, around 5:26 AM, Gooden opened fire on officers inside the home without warning. The report states that Officers Ruge, Elmstrand, and Medicott were believed to have been initially shot inside the home. While inside the home, it was reported that Medicott and Wical returned fire at Gooden, striking him in the leg. When the officers were moving from the home to the armored vehicle in the driveway, it was reported that both Ruge and Medicott were shot a second time. Finseth was shot when he was trying to provide aid to the officers. Elmstrand, Ruge, and Finseth would all later be pronounced deceased at the Hennepin County Medical Center from their injuries.
The BCA's initial investigation then states that Gooden continued to fire shots out of the home at officers and at the armored vehicle that had personnel inside of it. It was reported that Gooden, at one point, was shooting out an upstairs window when Officer Kimenez returned fire with his sniper rifle. The stand-off with Gooden ended after Gooden reportedly committed suicide. The Burnsville Police Department reported that occurred around 8 AM on Sunday. It was following his suicide that police were able to get the seven children out of the home safely, as previously reported. According to the investigation, SWAT cleared the home and found Gooden's body around 10:15 AM. At this point, the scene was reported clear, and the shelter-in-place that was previously reported that was sent out was lifted.
The BCA reports that when crime scene investigators searched the home, they recovered several firearms and a large amount of ammunition at the scene. They report that they also recovered several casings and stated that Gooden likely fired more than 100 rifle rounds at both law enforcement and fire responders during the incident. The BCA's investigation into this incident continues as they review all videos, including all body-camera and squad car videos.
According to the BCA, the Burnsville Police Department additionally asked them to investigate what led up to the 911 call that police responded to, the incident as a whole, and their officers' use of force. The BCA said once the whole investigation is complete, they will present their findings to the Dakota County Attorney's Office for further review.
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